I'll Protect You
by AmantesPatriae
Summary: Natsu's body was unable to absorb the Etherion and is taken down. Gray is the only one left that can save Erza from the Tower of Heaven. It wasn't going to be easy to defeat Jellal, but Gray is willing to do anything to protect her, even if it costs his life. Gray x Erza x Jellal.
1. The Ultimate Price

**A/N:** **This is a Gray/Erza and Jellal/Erza story and is slightly AU. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Chapter 1: The Ultimate Price**

* * *

 _I have to get to Erza before it's too late, before he kills her. I can't let that happen. Not on my watch._

He sprinted up the seemingly never ending staircase and maze that was the Tower of Heaven. After it had suddenly been turned into crystalline Etherion, Gray couldn't keep waiting on the boat for Erza and Natsu to return. He had a feeling that something was going to go wrong if he didn't get there in time. If something happened to her and he didn't do anything, he could never forgive himself.

 _I'm coming… Erza…_

* * *

Simon lay dead on the ground and Erza was starting to cry. He had sacrificed himself to protect her against the Altairis spell that Jellal cast. She sat next to him, slowly shaking him, somehow hoping that it would bring him back to life. As Natsu witnessed this, a burning rage lit in him. Jellal made Erza cry, again. He knew that he was dangerously low on magic energy, but he believed that he had to stop this horrid man from Erza's past.

The dragon slayer recalled what the blue haired wizard said earlier. " _The magic energy produced from the Etherion Blast was completely absorbed by the Tower, and has now turn into a structure of etherion infused lacrima."_

Without giving it a second thought, Natsu began to take chunks of the nearby lacrima tower and began to eat them. As the magic energy entered his body, he felt a surge of power and hit Jellal with all his force. The blow sent the man flying back, however the damage done was not sufficient enough to take him down.

Within seconds of his "boost", the mixed amounts of elements that were in the lacrima he digested were beginning to take their toll on his body. He immediately tried to spit out the lacrima, but much of its energy was already in his bloodstream.

"Natsu! What are you doing? That stuff is full of mixed types of elements! It'll kill you!" Erza tried to stop the dragon slayer, but it was too late. The effects were beginning to show themselves on his body. He fell to the ground, choking. The dangerous elements and chemicals infused within the lacrima were poisoning him, and drained him of what little magic energy he had left.

Before falling completely unconscious, Natsu managed to choke out "I-I'm sorry Erza…". The pink haired mage lay limp on the ground, unable to move.

The scarlet wizard quickly went to the fire mage's side, checking for a heartbeat, signs of breathing, something to show that he was alive. She was relieved to find a slow pulse still within the dragon slayer, but her relief quickly vanished as she heard the voice of her enemy.

Jellal found the entire situation to be quite entertaining, "Ha! Makes my job easier now that he has killed himself! Now, Erza, are you ready for the ceremony to begin?"

There was nothing Titania could do. She had already lost the majority of her magic energy trying to fight Jellal. _So this is the end… I should have never let Natsu fight for me. This is all my fault._

The tattooed man walked over to Erza and began to pull her towards the sacrificial liquid lacrima that she was pulled out of by Natsu earlier. But just as he was going to push her in a second time, he was hit by a sharp, piercing blade that cut through his side. He dropped Erza to see who had injured him, it was obviously not the requip wizard, as she didn't have the power to summon a sword.

"I won't let you hurt her." A familiar voice to Erza was heard, and she tiredly looked up to see Gray standing there, challenging Jellal.

"Ah, so you are still here, huh? Well I guess I'll just have to make quick work of you because I don't have time to play around!" The bluenette soared towards the ice wizard at blinding speed and hit him with tremendous force, knocking the wind out of Gray.

"G-Gray… don't do it… leave before he kills you too…" Erza was simply too weak to move and try to stop the ice mage.

Gray was hit with a series of attacks that left him beat down. He was having trouble standing up, but he saw how weak and fragile Erza looked and a fire of determination burned in his eyes.

* * *

 _ ***Flashback***_

"There she is. I won't let her beat me this time." A young black haired boy ran towards a small girl who sat alone facing the riverbank. She heard him approaching, and turned around, only to have the boy see a tear still falling from her left eye. The young Erza stood up and wiped away the water that lingered on her face.

"What's up with you? Don't you learn your lesson? If you want to fight me again, then let's go."

Gray was surprised by what he had just seen. All he could say was "Why were you crying?".

Erza wanted to stay strong and keep her cool, "I wasn't".

The ice wizard knew what he saw. She _was_ crying, and she is always by herself. He couldn't fight her after seeing her like this. He decided to sit down next to her and spend the rest of the day by her side. Gray never told her, but that day, he promised himself that he wouldn't let anyone make her cry again.

 _ ***Flashback end***_

* * *

Gray wasn't going to let anyone hurt Erza. She meant everything to him, and he was willing to do anything to protect her. The emotions and feelings for Erza strengthened the ice wizard's power and he unleashed a fury of ice crystals all around and on top of Jellal, trapping him momentarily. But it was all the time he needed to cast his ultimate spell. He knew it was the only way to save Erza. He couldn't see any other way for him to do it, Jellal was just too powerful.

"What are you doing, you pest?!" The blue haired wizard looked down at his feet to see his legs encapsulated by ice, leaving him immobile temporarily.

"Erza, take care of Natsu and everyone else back at the guild..." Gray smiled at the scarlet mage as he crossed his arms out in front of him. She realized immediately what he was about to cast. "Gray! No! You can't!"

"Erza… I'll protect you…" And with that, Gray threw his arms back and casted the spell that cost the ultimate price.

"Iced Shell!"

* * *

 **A/N:** **I hope that you guys like it so far! This will be a multi-chapter story, by the way.**

 **Writing a review always helps and I truly appreciate them!**

 **-AP**


	2. I'll Protect You

**A/N:** **Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! I love getting them!**

 **Chapter 2: I'll Protect You**

* * *

"Erza… I'll protect you…" Gray threw his arms back and casted the spell that cost the ultimate price.

"Iced Shell!"

Magic circles began to surround Jellal as the Iced Shell was being cast. Jellal tried to tug his legs free, but he was being held down by the power of the spell. "What have you done?!" The bluenette's eyes went from those of anger to fear. He realized that there was no escaping this spell, and his impending doom was inevitable.

Erza ran towards Gray, holding his face. Parts of his body were already beginning to crack and shatter away as it made up the prison for Jellal. "G-Gray… don't do this…" Tears were burning behind her eyes as she fought to keep them back.

"Please don't cry Erza. It's too late now. I promised to never let anyone hurt you again. You told me that day on the riverbank that you wanted to get away from your past. Well, now, you don't have to run anymore." Gray smiled at Erza, trying to reassure her.

"No, Gray. This is my fault. I shouldn't have let you fight Jellal. I shouldn't have pulled you into-" the scarlet mage was interrupted when Gray put a finger on her lips, quieting her. He didn't want her to feel bad or blame herself. Gray's icy touch made the tears she held back come out, and now that they came, she couldn't stop.

Gray pulled away and began to speak, "Erza. Ever since you came to Fairy Tail, I wanted to be there for you and get to know you better. You kept me going everyday, and I would gladly give my life to save yours." As he spoke, more fragments of his body and face began to break away.

Erza tried to stay strong for Gray, but the tears continued to fall as she watched her friend die right before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to help him.

"Erza…" _*shatter*_ "I want you to know…" _*shatter*_ "T-That I have always…" _*shatter*_ "L-Loved… Y-" The rest of Gray's face and body broke away and was carried onto the ice capsule that had now completely engulfed Jellal.

The scarlet mage's eyes widened in disbelief. "Gray!" _H-He's gone…_ It felt as though a weight had been put on her heart. She had lost 2 people that had been very close to her in the same day. She still believed that it was her fault, because she wasn't strong enough to protect those close to her and because she was the reason that he was here in the first place.

Erza wiped away the tears only to have them be replaced as she picked up Natsu, who was still alive and began to make her way towards the escape boat. There was nothing she could do about the mass of ice that encapsulated Jellal, but she had to save Natsu, _I'm not letting anyone else die here today._

Before going down the tower, Erza looked back once more at the ice that had protected her, and whispered, "I love you too, Gray…"

* * *

When the group had made it back to Magnolia, everyone separated and went their separate ways to recover from what had happened, either physically, mentally, or both. Lucy saw how sad Erza had looked the entire way on the boat. She didn't ask then, but she decided that it would be best to at least see how she was doing. However, the scarlet mage did explain some bits and pieces about what happened.

Erza was going back to her room in Fairy Hills, when a certain celestial mage caught up with her and spoke in a soft tone. "Erza, are you alright? I'm really sorry about what happened with Gr-"

"Lucy. You don't have to be sorry. He wouldn't have wanted us to be sad about what he did. We need to try and m-move on and s-stay strong…" Lucy could hear her voice shaking as she said her last sentence. The blond figured that it would be best to let Erza have some time to herself.

The scarlet wizard came into her bedroom and closed and locked the door behind her. As soon as she was sure that there was nobody around to hear her, she broke down on the floor and started crying. The tears seemed to just keep flowing out as she thought about Gray's sacrifice. Simon's sacrifice also beared weight in her heart, but Gray was closer to her and it hurt her even more. She wanted to stay strong for his sake, he wouldn't have wanted her to be like this, but how could she hold back?

Sorrow engulfed Erza as she lay in a sad, broken state on the ground. She continued to cry into the night, until she fell asleep, where the pain would only haunt her in her dreams as she relived the events of Gray's death.

* * *

 _ ***At the Tower of Heaven***_

"Who is this guy trapped in ice?" A man talked to himself as he stared at the figure frozen in the unbreakable ice.

"Hm. Whatever. I'm sure that they would want me to get this…" He smiled as he picked up the heavy mass of frozen water and left the small island.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Oooh, plot seeds!**

 **Reviews are very much appreciated! :D**

 **-AP**


	3. Moving On

**A/N:** **Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! I really appreciate it when I get them.**

 **I didn't expect for this story to get more followers than my other main story in about a quarter of the time. Which is great! I'm glad that so many people(it's a lot to me, at least) enjoy reading my story at least as much as I enjoy writing it!**

 **Chapter 3: Moving on**

* * *

 _ ***2 weeks later***_

Dark clouds blanketed the sky and rain sprinkled the ground, leaving puddles in low spots. The entire Fairy Tail guild had come to a large stone in the earth that read " _In loving memory of Gray Fullbuster"._ Everyone had come dressed in black attire, this was Gray's funeral.

Natsu couldn't believe the news that the ice mage had sacrificed himself to save Erza. Deep down, as much as it appeared as though he hated him, he cared. This day was one of the few that the dragon slayer didn't have his cheerful and carefree attitude. Now that he thought about him and his absence, Gray was actually a close friend to Natsu.

And it hurts to lose friends.

Lucy wasn't particularly affected so much by Gray's death, but being at the funeral made her sad, she didn't know the ice wizard all that well but he was family.

And it hurts to lose family.

Erza stood in the rain, blankly staring at the stone in the ground. She thought about all the times she had spent with the black haired boy. The tears would always present themselves to her eyes no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. She wanted to stay strong, for Gray's sake, but the pain was too much for her to hold back. But this wasn't the first time that Erza felt this way, she had felt a darkness in her heart ever since the day Gray protected her back in the tower. Something that she didn't realize until after the he was gone, was that she truly loved Gray.

And it hurts to lose people you love.

The mass of mages that were gathered there had all been quiet as they remembered Gray. Erza knew that someone had to give the eulogy, and she decided that it was the least she could do since he gave his life for her.

The scarlet wizard stood in front of the stone and began to speak, "Gray was a loyal member to the Fairy Tail guild, and he was a part of our family. We must try t-to m-move on from this tragedy… He gave his life to save mine, and for that I will always be grateful. Everyone here at Fairy Tail will never forget you, and we will always love you, Gray…" It was easy to tell that Erza's voice was shaking as she attempted to give the speech. She told everyone that they needed to move on, yet here she was, getting choked up and tears welling up in her eyes.

The members of the guild began to go their separate ways as the funeral was coming to a close. Erza, however was the only one that stayed for a little while longer. As she wiped away her tears, she looked down at the picture of Gray next to the stone that had his name engraved in it. While looking at the most recent picture they had of the ice mage, she cracked a small smile, and whispered "Thank you Gray…for everything".

* * *

 _ ***At the Magic Council***_

A man walked into a large meeting office, obviously a messenger of some sort.

"The man who is encapsulated in the strange ice, is Jellal. He is the one who tricked us into firing the Etherion Blast."

A large, burly wizard replied "Hmm… is he still alive?"

"Yes, sir"

"Break it open, and keep him that way"

* * *

 _ ***In Magnolia***_

Erza walked through the town, trying to get her mind off of the loss of Gray. She decided that the best way for her to attempt to move on was to try to be happy. So the first thing that she thought of was going to her favorite pastry shop to get her beloved strawberry cheesecake.

The requip wizard came into the store, and since the owner knew her so well, he had an already made cake ready to be eaten. A small man, the owner of the shop, handed Erza a slice of cake as she sat down. "This one is on the house"

The baker knew that something bad has happened to someone close to Erza so he decided that she deserved a free slice of her favorite dessert.

Erza looked out the window as she ate her favorite cake. The sun was beginning to show itself through the rain clouds. She felt a small sense of relief, and that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to get through this after all.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Really short chapter this time, but I promise the next one won't be.**

 **I was running out of things to write for this chapter, and I set it up for there to be lots of content in the next one.**

 **Leave a review if you have the time, I really appreciate it!**

 **-AP**


	4. Forgotten

**A/N:** **Last chapter set some things up for this one, so I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **I want to thank everyone for reviewing on the last chapter! I appreciate it!**

 **Chapter 4: Forgotten**

* * *

It had been an entire two years since Gray's death, and everyone in Fairy Tail had moved on and was living out their lives as normal. Natsu no longer had a rival, but he continued to challenge Erza although he lost every time. He still had his carefree and laidback attitude as he always had.

Most of the guild members were not heavily affected by Gray's death. Erza was clearly the most heartbroken of anyone, but as time passed by, she moved on and began to live happily because she wasn't going to let it go to waste after Gray gave his own to save hers. The seemingly endless nights of her uncontrollable sadness and crying, had eventually dissipated as the weeks turned to months, and the months into years.

However, not a day went by that Erza didn't think of him. She kept the only picture she had of him on her dresser, and she looked at it and kept it there as a reminder. A reminder of him, and everything he had done. It was one of the rare pictures that Gray had willingly taken, and this one included just him and Erza. It was when they had gone to the Akane Resort, the day before the Tower of Heaven incident. The picture came to be because Erza insisted that they take a photo together to remember the fun they were having at the resort.

Erza would always glance at the picture of the two of them, Gray looked so happy to be there, and it was one of the last times she saw him in person. At first, when she put the photo on her dresser, it would start to bring tears to her eyes. But now, the scarlet wizard would look down at it and smile, sometimes saying "Thank you" to the paper as if Gray could still hear her. But all in all, Erza was now a much happier person than two years ago and always tried to spend time with the friends and family she had left at Fairy Tail.

* * *

 _ ***2 months earlier, at the Magic Council***_

A large crystal of ice that covered Jellal was being melted away by moondrip that the Magic Council kept on stock in liquid form. It had already been 16 months since they began to start putting concentrated moondrip onto the ice since they found that it was next to impossible to melt or break otherwise.

The ice that was melting was being collected by scientists at the Council, as they uncovered Jellal. Their goal was to test the special ice that was so strong, and put the still alive Jellal in prison for the rest of his life.

"Sir! The ice has been completely melted! We have a large amount of the melted ice and the scientists will be doing multiple tests on it because they claim that a strange aura is emitted from it. Jellal is barely conscious and is being taken to the magic prison as we speak."

"Very well. Let me know if the magic scientists find anything else about that ice. That is all."

A lab of four magic scientists put the melted ice in one of their machines. It confirmed that there was still magic energy contained within the water, but they weren't sure how or why. It seemed as though there was still life in the water, but they had no idea how to tell for sure.

After weeks of constant testing, the scientists had finally been able to get some kind of reaction out of the melted ice. They decided that they would feed ice elemental etherion into the ice, infusing it with more magic energy. This, mixed with some of the moondrip from the melting process, caused the water to glow. It emitted a light so bright that it nearly blinded the scientists and they had to look away momentarily. Once the light faded, they saw standing there, a completely naked man with black hair.

* * *

 _ ***Present day, Magnolia***_

Today was the day. It was exactly 2 years ago that Gray had sacrificed his life for Erza. Last year, Erza even had to put off one of her S-Class missions to go to the ice wizard's grave. Today marked year two for Gray's death and Erza was on her way to the stone that represented the ice mage. Erza was going alone this year, everyone had come last year, but Erza promised herself that she would go every year and set down flowers on his grave to remember him. Not everyone in the guild had the time to go to Gray's grave nor did they feel the need to do so annually.

As the scarlet mage made it to her destination, she set down the bouquet of flowers and looked down upon the stone. She held the necklace that Gray once wore tight in her hand. She had Gray's cross shaped necklace from when he sacrificed himself, she picked it up after he had completely turned to ice. It was one of the only things she had that reminded her of Gray. She wore it underneath her armor, believing that whenever she went anywhere, in a way he would be there with her.

"Gray, I know that you are still alive somewhere. I found out that the Iced Shell spell doesn't kill you. I'm glad that I know that. And I know you can't hear me but still I want to say thank you… I'll never forget you for as long as I live…" Erza began to tear up as she thought of her friend. These anniversaries were the only times that she cried anymore.

She stood up, wiping away her tears, and began to walk back to Fairy Tail. Before leaving the gravesite, she turned back, "And I'll always love you too, Gray".

* * *

 _ ***Fairy Tail Guild Hall***_

Everyone at the guild was going about their business as usual. It was a normal day for all the other members there. But when the front doors came open revealing a certain black haired man, all eyes rested on the figure, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

It was Gray.

Mages swarmed towards him and hugged him with everything they had. He was back in Fairy Tail. Nobody could believe that the ice mage was still alive, but they didn't care, he was back with them after two long years. Natsu was going on about how he was going to fight the ice mage, Mira was crying tears of joy and Juvia did the same. The water wizard didn't obsess over this because over the two years, she got with Lyon, and she realized that Gray actually loved Erza. One thing that everyone had in common was that they were all asking the ice wizard how he was here.

Gray was completely confused by all of the faces that surrounded and seemingly praised him. _Who are these people? Do I know them? All I know is that this is Fairy Tail. It's the only thing I can remember. That and that my name is Gray… Gray what? Gray Smith? No… I can't even recall my last name._

The sound of clanging armor was heard behind the commotion. It was Erza. She saw Gray. She saw him surrounded by all the guild members and having questions fired at him. Her eyes widened in disbelief, she rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't some kind of illusion. All she could do was run to him, and hug the ice mage as soon as she got there. Her head rested on Gray's chest, and she began to cry tears of happiness.

"G-Gray… I can't believe that it's really you… you're back. You're home now…"

Gray was oblivious to the whole situation. He just looked down at Erza and questioned her.

"I'm sorry miss, do I know you?"

* * *

 **A/N:** **How Gray made it to Fairy Tail will be included in the next chapter.**

 **Leave a review and let me know how you liked it!**

 **-AP**


	5. Memories

**A/N:** **Welcome back everyone! I left off on a sort of cliffhanger so I'll make this quick.**

 **Thanks, yet again, to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter!**

 **Chapter 5: Memories**

* * *

 _Erza came into the guild. She saw Gray. She saw him surrounded by all the guild members firing questions at him. Erza ran towards him, and when she got there, she hugged him. As she held him in her embrace, she began to cry into his chest._

" _G-Gray… I can't believe that it's really you… you're back. You're home now…"_

 _Gray was oblivious to the whole situation. He just looked down at Erza and questioned her._

" _I'm sorry miss, do I know you?"_

The scarlet wizard hoped that she didn't hear what she thought she heard. She looked up at Gray, tears still in her eyes, "W-What do you mean, Gray? It's me, Erza…" The confused look on the ice mage's face crushed Erza's heart. How did he forget her? She knew it had been 2 years, but she didn't think that he would forget. She sure as hell didn't forget, not one single day. Wait. What was she thinking? How is Gray even here? How is he alive? It's just not possible.

Erza pushed Gray away, she wasn't sure who this was. _What am I thinking? Gray can't be alive. It's impossible, there's no way._ "Who are you? And why are you here? Gray is gone, so who are you actually?" She stood upright, trying to keep her composure, slightly irritated by herself.

Gray felt bad for the scarlet haired girl, he couldn't recall who it was, but he could tell that whoever he was before his amnesia, she must have been important to him. So he decided to tell her and everyone else what he could remember. "I came here because it was one of the only things that I remember. I woke up in a lab, and the only things I knew was Fairy Tail and where it was, and my name. So I decided to come here. I think it is bringing back some of my memory. I'm sorry that I can't remember who all of you are".

Erza was put into some sort of trance. She was speechless. How was Gray here? How is he alive? Don't get her wrong, she wasn't mad that Gray was here, alive. It was just that she would have never thought that she would ever see him again. And she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Well then we gotta help him get his memory back! It just wouldn't be the same without the old Gray here!" Natsu quickly jumped to try and resolve this problem. He didn't care how the ice mage made it here, but he was back, and he wanted to get back to fighting him. Typical Natsu.

The dragon slayer wrapped his arm around Gray and began to walk him through the guild, trying to teach him the basics and reintroduce him to everyone he used to know. "My name is Natsu, I am your biggest rival. I always beat you, so I don't even know why you bother, but still. This over here is Lucy-"

Natsu was grabbed by the girl he was about to introduce and she pulled him away to talk privately. "Natsu! Don't go stealing Gray! Think about how Erza must be feeling right now. Let them have some time together, to catch up on things." Lucy felt bad for Erza and remembered the day, two years ago, when Erza pretended to be fine. But she heard her crying herself to sleep every night for the next two weeks. The celestial mage wanted Erza to be with Gray, she believed it would make Erza happy. Natsu simply frowned in defeat.

Erza asked Gray to come with her and look around Magnolia and try and help him recall something, anything. The ice mage told her how he got back to the guild. He had awoken in a lab, with only going to Fairy Tail on his mind, so he stormed out of the Magic Council and made it there.

"So, Gray, you don't remember anything at all?" The scarlet wizard questioned.

"Nothing more than my name and Fairy Tail. And how to use my magic, of course."

Erza didn't know what to feel. Happiness for his return, or sadness for his amnesia. Did it hurt more knowing that he was here but didn't remember her? The requip mage knew exactly the place to take Gray to try and help him remember moments that they once shared together. The river where it all began.

The sun was already starting to set and both wizards had made it to the riverbank where Erza used to cry, alone. Alone, that is, until Gray came along. When he had come, she didn't have to cry by herself. And slowly, Erza began to heal with Gray be her side, until all the tears had dried up. She reminisced in the moment that the ice mage had first seen her here, the start of their friendship.

Erza sat down by the river and Gray decided to sit next to her. Erza looked into the distance and then began to speak. "This is where we first became friends. You were there for me. You have always been there for me." Erza was beginning to tear up and she looked at Gray, who turned to stare into her eyes as well. The scarlet knight smiled at him, "Thank you Gray… I'm so glad you're back…" Erza began to lean in towards Gray, closing the distance between their faces. Their lips barely grazed each other when Gray leaned back, an action that took Erza by surprise.

"I… uh… I'm sorry… but I can't." The ice wizard turned his head away, but regretted it immediately afterward. "Look, don't get me wrong, you seem like a really nice girl, I just don't… know who you are. And I'm sorry about that and whoever I was before. I think I should just go." Gray stood up and began walking away.

Erza shot her head towards the ground as a blush crept onto her face. This was incredibly embarrassing for her. _What was I thinking? I'm getting way too ahead of myself._ The scarlet haired mage grabbed Gray's arm, to which he turned back "Look, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have taken you here. I don't know what got into me". Erza smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

"I really want to remember you, and thanks for spending some time with me. I'll see you tomorrow, Erza".

Gray didn't know what it was about her smile, but as he walked back to his house - a place that he was reminded of by Erza - he felt like he knew who the redhead was, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He hoped that he would get his memory back, so he could remember her, remember everyone and everything he cared about before.

Erza went back to her apartment and just laid down on her bed. She didn't know what to think, how to feel, what to do. Gray's reappearance had been so much to take in. But the way he sounded when he rejected her approach, it hurt her. She had forgotten, in that moment, that Gray didn't know who she was, and she felt foolish for doing so. But it still hurt to have him say that, especially with the Gray she knew before the incident.

And she didn't quite know why, but she had a feeling that Gray's memories weren't going to come back. And that might just be as bad as before he came back, maybe even worse. And again, as she did two years ago on this day, Erza cried herself to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** **How did you guys like this one? I want it to be angsty, I hope you guys approve! :P**

 **Leave a review if you have the time, I really appreciate them!**

 **I have another GrayZa story idea that I am aching to write and after I complete this one, I will do the next one.**

 **-AP**


	6. Jellal

**A/N:** **Welcome back, everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying this story, it will be done in about 3-5 more chapters. :( ? :) ?**

 **A big thank you to all that reviewed on the last chapter!**

 **Chapter 6: Jellal**

* * *

Gray was having trouble falling asleep. His brain was struggling to figure out who the scarlet haired girl he talked with earlier was. _What was her name again? Er….. Erza! Yeah that's right, Erza. I really wish I could remember everything about her. She's so nice, and she makes me happy when I'm around her. But it feels strange when I don't know a thing about her. Maybe I'll just try to get to know her tomorrow._

But tomorrow felt like an eternity. He suddenly had the urge to go see her right now. His legs seemed to carry themselves, leading him to Erza's apartment. It was almost like instinct, and how he knew where she lived already, he did not know.

The ice wizard made it to Erza's window, but when he peered in, he didn't see her sleeping. She was crying.

To be perfectly honest, Erza was a mess. Tears just came out, uncontrollably. If she could have, she would have stopped. But she couldn't. One by one, tear after tear. It didn't stop until she fell asleep, still sobbing.

Gray watched, eyes wide in surprise. Why was she crying? It even hurt him to see her this way. Even though he didn't know the reason - or even the girl who shed the tears - he was hurt by the sight of it. He decided that first thing in the morning, he would learn all about the guild and then do something with her. He needed to know more about her. No single person he saw he recognized, or knew anything about. But with the scarlet wizard, it was different because he had a feeling that he needed to know more about her, a feeling that he was very close to her before his memory was wiped clean.

* * *

Although the ice mage didn't get very much sleep, he woke up ready to learn - or perhaps, relearn - about the guild that he was a part of. He did have the Fairy Tail stamp on his chest, after all.

When Gray entered the guild hall, there was not very many people there. He figured it was because he got here so early. He saw a white haired girl and determined that she would probably know what he came here to ask.

"Hey, uh, excuse me. Can you explain to me how this guild thing works?"

"Oh! Hi, Gray! Sure, I'll teach you. Well, the first thing is that you take take missions. The request board is over there. You can take a job, and even bring a friend or group along with you. You know, you used to be a part of a team with Natsu, Lucy, and- " Mirajane was interrupted by the woman she was about to say the name of.

"But the most important part of a guild is that all of the members are family. Which means we stick with each other, love each other, through thick and thin. We love and care for each other no matter what, that's what it truly means to be in a guild. Remember that, Gray."

Gray was shocked by her words. _Family? Love and care for one another no matter what?_ The scarlet mage that gave the short speech looked so normal despite the state Gray saw her in the night before. _How is she able to just be completely normal after looking so sad last night?_ The questions and want to learn more about the redhead prompted him to ask something of her.

"Hey, Erza. Do you want to go on a job with me?" The ice wizard decided that if he could spend time alone with her, and work together with her, he could recall more about the scarlet haired girl.

"Of course, it could help you brush up on your magic skills. You haven't used magic in years. Let's find a request."

Erza and Gray stood by the corkboard, contemplating which job to get. One caught Gray's eye, and he took it, declaring that this was the one. "Alright, let's do this one." Looking at the paper, he read the contents, "We just have to find a wanted criminal that stole money from Blue Pegasus. Should be simple enough, right?" Gray said 'Blue Pegasus' as if he knew what it was, he was tired of asking everyone what everything is. Besides, he knew what a criminal was.

"Okay. Let's head out." Erza seemed completely fine and kept her composure, even though she still had heartache from the night before. She had to admit that she was glad that she was able to go on a mission with Gray. She really wanted to do something with him, perhaps she would have to teach him all his memories.

The good thing was that the two wizards didn't have very far to go. Their job had them going to a fairly small town, only about 20 miles away from Magnolia. There was no train track leading into the town, so they had to walk the whole way. This did give them time to try and catch up on things.

"So, Gray. Have you remembered anything?" Erza decided to break the ice, even though it was somewhat awkward for her, especially considering that she tried to kiss him the afternoon before.

"No, nothing else. But I'm learning everyday. Tell me something, who were you to me before I… you know…"

Erza was taken aback by the ice wizard's question. But nonetheless, she answered him, she believed that he deserved to know. "Well, going all the way back, you were my first friend. We were always friends since childhood, I may have scolded you many times, but not with bad intentions. One could almost call us best friends, you were the only person in Fairy Tail that I truly felt comfortable about sharing my past with and talking to. You were always there for me…" Erza trailed off as she forced back tears. For some reason, every time Erza brought up something about Gray, she wanted to cry, it was almost instinct.

Gray was going to respond when the two were approached by a man in a hooded coat. He was alone, and he stood in front of them. He came out of nowhere, neither Fairy Tail wizard saw or sensed his presence before. They were about 6 miles on the outskirts of their destination town, in the middle of a forest.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Erza demanded.

The man pulled back his hood, to reveal a wizard with electric blue hair. A dark red tattoo was marked above and below his right eye.

"It's been quite some time… Erza"

"No… It can't be you…" Erza's eyes widened in fear.

Gray fell to his knees as a massive shot of pain came to his head.

Erza stood there, staring at the bluenette, clenching her fists as hard as she could.

* * *

 **A/N:** **That's it for this chapter!**

 **Leave a review if you enjoyed! I love getting them!**

 **-AP**


	7. Trust

**A/N:** **Hello again everyone! It took me a little longer than I had originally planned to come up with how to develop Jellal in this story. That, and I was at a loss for inspiration or motive to write recently for some unknown reason. But I'm back, and ready to get back into the GrayZa shipping mood!**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter and to any new followers! Glad to have you aboard!**

 **Chapter 7: Trust**

* * *

The man pulled back his hood, to reveal a wizard with electric blue hair. A dark red tattoo was marked above and below his right eye.

"It's been quite some time… Erza"

"No… It can't be you…" Erza's eyes widened in fear.

Gray fell to his knees as massive shot of pain came to his head.

Erza stood there, staring at the bluenette, clenching her fists as hard as she could.

 _ **Jellal.**_

He was somehow here, standing right before her. She was under the impression that he was imprisoned in the Magic Council, even after Gray had been changed back to his normal form. What he caused and put her, Gray, and countless others through was unforgivable. All fear washed away as anger took over. Erza tried to keep her cool and not let the situation turn into a violent one, but the overwhelming feeling of hate pulsed through her like the blood in her veins.

The scarlet wizard summoned her sword, and without hesitation kicked Jellal to the ground. The force she used on him was tremendous, driven by her abrupt enragement. "You have some nerve showing up like this…"

She advanced, drawing her sword and bringing the tip of it to his neck, barely grazing the skin. Her glare was seemingly just as sharp, "You better have a good reason to be here, because if I don't like it, I won't hesitate to kill you"

Despite being roughly tossed to the dirt and having a blade mere inches from his neck, Jellal remained calm and didn't fight back the entire time.

Gray in the meantime, had a splitting headache but he felt a strange, yet familiar sensation as images flooded his mind. Memories. Thoughts. Feelings. Everything that made his personality, came crashing in all at once. First were flashbacks of the little time he spent with his parents before they were killed, with the latter coming in soon after. Next was training with Ur and Lyon, and Ur's death, how she saved him using _Iced Shell._ Fairy Tail, where most of his memories had been, came next. First he had known Cana and became her friend.

Then the memory of when he first saw _Erza._ As much as he tried not to show it, Gray loved Erza. Or more precisely, was in love with the scarlet girl since she joined the guild. He saw how weak she really was behind her armor, behind the scenes, when she was alone. He felt as though he had to help her after seeing her crying alone that one day by the river. At the moment, Gray would have never expected to see her crying like that. But that day, he realized that the true reason that she wore armor was not to shield herself against physical damage, but emotional harm. To protect her heart from breaking.

He hoped that if he kept trying, he could get her to take down the emotional armor she put up around her heart. And maybe instead of preventing it from breaking any further, he could do his best to fix it. He wanted to be her protection, her armor from emotional pain. As years went by, he felt that he was making progress with Erza. But something always got in the way. _Jellal._ The bluenette made it impossible to get very far with Erza even though he wasn't physically there. The requip wizard told him that she believed that the Jellal she knew when she was younger was still in there somewhere.

When Erza was taken back to the Tower of Heaven, and Gray found out that Jellal was going the kill her, he decided he would do whatever took to protect Erza. And it led to him using _Iced Shell,_ a spell that virtually kills the caster. The spell was designed this way because it's main purpose was to protect those you loved. And it would only be worth casting if you were protecting a loved one, just as Ur did for him.

Gray had recalled everything. It seemed as though seeing Jellal was a trigger for his memory to come back. But man, did it hurt like hell to get that many thoughts back into your brain at once.

The ice wizard was coming to, and he could see Erza at the verge of killing Jellal with her sword. Gray just continued to watch, _Serves him right. I'm not sure how he's here, but watching Erza take him out is fitting. Fitting for her to eliminate her own nightmare._

Eventually Jellal spoke "Erza. I didn't come here to hurt or fight with anyone. I had spent two long years trying to find myself, and I couldn't believe what I had done-"

This only angered Erza further, "What kind of excuse is that?!" she inched the tip of the metal closer, pressing further against the bluenette's throat.

Jellal tried to push his head back, but was already confronted with the ground beneath him. He gulped hard, "Erza, I was being controlled. I was possessed in the tower. I was controlled since the day you left, or rather made you leave. That wasn't the real me back there. A powerful dark guild member took control of my body, so I could force others into building the Tower of Heaven because they wanted to resurrect Zeref."

Erza's eyes widened after hearing that. She always believed that there was some unknown, underlying reason behind his actions. _It wasn't his fault. He shouldn't be punished like this. The real Jellal is here now._ The scarlet mage pulled her sword away from Jellal, and sent it back to its dimension. She reached her hand out to help him up, "I'm so sorry Jellal… I had no idea that was what happened. But I must know, did you break out of the Magic Council? Are you a fugitive?"

Jellal pulled himself up with the help of Erza and stated, "No. I was able to prove my innocence and show that I was being possessed. They are searching for the guild that caused it."

Erza smiled in relief. "Well, in that case, come with me to Fair-"

Ice shards came crashing towards the bluenette, but he was able to dodge just in time. A familiar voice yelled, "What are you doing?! Take him down!"

The requip mage stood in front of Jellal, and protested "Stop this! He is no longer an enemy! He was being controlled, he is innocent now."

Erza's actions took a blow to Gray emotionally. _What the hell is she doing? Standing in front of him? Protecting him?! After I protected her from him? He can't be forgiven! He is a damn liar!_

But, nonetheless, Gray accepted Erza's wishes. Maybe, he did change. But that wasn't going to stop him from keeping an eye on the blue haired man. "Fine. Have it your way. But I wouldn't trust him…"

Jellal walked up to the ice wizard and spoke in a soft tone, "Excuse me, but I believe you were the one that trapped me in ice for 2 years. And for that I would like to thank you. During that time, my controllers left me and I came back to normal. And a friend of Erza's is a friend of mine, even if you don't feel the same about me, however I can understand why".

Gray simply scoffed and began to walk back home, "Let's go Erza".

The three wizards walked in silence the entire way to Magnolia. Before they got into town, Erza suggested that they go to Gray's house since it was getting late and that they would inform the guild on the situation with Jellal in the morning. Gray refused initially, but Erza convinced him that they couldn't go through town with Jellal around, it would bring too much unwanted attention. Gray still hated the idea, but he allowed it anyways. It was hard to say no to Erza.

It was going to be difficult to house the three of them since he only had one bedroom. He sure as hell wasn't going to let Jellal and Erza sleep in there while he slept on the couch. He didn't want Erza to have to sleep on the couch either, it was uncomfortable. _Hmm… Sharing a bed with Erza would be the best scenario, but I don't know if she would be okay with that… Ah, what the hell, I'll just ask her._

Gray made his announcement to Jellal and Erza, "So, since I only have one bedroom, someone has to sleep on the couch. Now, I don't want to have to be the one to do this, but the only way for it to work is for Jellal to sleep on the couch." The ice wizard didn't directly mention that Erza was going to have to sleep with him, but it was pretty obvious. Although, he did a good job containing his excitement after Erza bluntly agreed. Jellal said that he would be okay with that, Gray assumed that Jellal didn't want to do anything that would make him unhappy.

Everyone was so tired that they completely skipped dinner and headed straight for their respective places to sleep. There was some awkward tension between Erza and Gray and neither one spoke, even though they shared the same bed. Jellal went to the couch and closed his eyes.

Gray was having trouble falling asleep, not only because Erza was right next to him, but also because she flooded his mind. He still couldn't believe that Erza trusted what Jellal told her, and what happened to that day that she almost kissed him? Was it a lie? Pity for herself because she missed me? A way to replace Jellal? So many questions clouded Gray's mind as he struggled to go to sleep.

Erza wasn't falling asleep so easily either. In truth, she didn't know what to feel. Jellal or Gray? There was a feeling of nostalgia when she found out that Jellal wasn't himself. The truth was, she loved Jellal when they were kids. When she joined Fairy Tail, Gray was beginning to take that spot, but she still never knew if she should fall in love with anyone again so she kept her distance and stayed friends. It wasn't until Gray "died" for her that she realized her true feelings for the ice wizard. But with Jellal back to normal like this, she was at a crossroad.

Jellal was laying fairly comfortably on the couch, he smirked and whispered to himself "Everything is working out perfectly… And when it is time, I will have Erza…"

* * *

 **A/N:** **Is Jellal what he appears to be?**

 **Everything is complicated with Gray and Erza right now…**

 **This was the longest chapter so far! I want to start writing longer ones.**

 **Anyways, if you have the time, leave a review! I love getting them!**

 **-AP**


	8. Mistake

**A/N:** **So I finally started to work on this story again after contemplating what to do with it. Also, writing other stories and life got in the way. Whenever I lose motivation to write Grayza stuff, I go to youtube and watch Gray x Erza tribute videos and they always get me back in the mood. :p**

 **Also, yes, I do have a new pen name. Maybe it was just me, but I thought my previous one was too plain.**

 **Thanks for all of the reviews from last chapter!**

 **WARNING: This chapter will have some profane language, for angsty purposes only.**

 **Chapter 8: Mistake**

* * *

Gray had gotten so little sleep that he wasn't even sure if he actually had any. It was still early, but he became alert when the other side of the bed started moving. Erza was up, already requipped into her usual outfit comprised of the latest edition of the Heart Kreuz armor and a simple blue skirt. Somehow, Gray's shirt ended up on the ground even though he didn't remember taking it off.

The ice wizard sat up, there was no point in trying to sleep anymore. Erza noticed him move and looked back, "Morning, Gray". She spoke with the normal, blunt tone that she gave with everyone.

"Hey, Erza." Gray rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. _Why am I getting tired now?_ Before the knight left the room, Gray called to her, recalling that he needed to tell her something.

"Oh, uh, Erza. I forgot to tell you yesterday, but I got my memory back." She whipped her head back to look at him, surprised by the news. "Really? How?"

"When I saw... " Gray paused for a second, hesitant to speak his name "... Jellal, I guess it triggered my memory to come back".

"Well, that's good to hear". Erza replied in monotone as she walked out of the room.

Gray got up and almost ran to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to face him. "Hey, Erza, you okay?"

She flinched subtly, rather irritated by his actions. "Yes, Gray. I'm fine." She looked around the living room, "Do you know where Jellal is?"

"No clue, probably felt so bad that he turned his guilty ass self in." The ice wizard scoffed, slightly amused by his own joke.

Erza, however, did not take it lightly. "What the hell are you talking about? He's innocent. He was controlled, Gray. Why do you have such a problem with him? Can't you see that he is not a bad person anymore?" the knight was almost shouting, not at all pleased with Gray's comment.

Gray was certainly hurt by her words, but he wasn't going to let her scold him over this. He wanted her to know how he felt about the situation. "My problem? You want to know my problem with him? Where do I start? He tried to me, Natsu, and some of our other friends, he killed Simon. He was the reason why the Magic Council was corrupted from the inside. Hell, and the biggest reason doesn't have much to do him, but more about you. I put my life on the line to protect you from him, because he tried to kill you-"

"Shut up! That wasn't him! He was possessed by the darkness, he isn't that man anymore. Can't you forgive and forget? He is a different person, the real Jellal." Erza's temper was beginning to rise as she defended the bluenette.

The ice wizard wasn't going to back down now, he wanted her to realize that Jellal hasn't changed, because he hasn't… right? It wasn't something he just believed, born out of pure jealousy? No, he knew he was right, and Erza needed to know as well. "But he's not, Erza. He hasn't changed, I know it. The energy I felt when I encased him in ice was all his own, there was no outside force acting on him. If there had been, it would have gone away instantly, but his energy never changed, he may act like he's changed, but he's still the same person who tried to kill us."

Gray tried to talk calmly, to get Erza to calm down as well, to let her understand what he knew. But it didn't matter, she wouldn't give up on her belief of Jellal. "You're wrong! You don't understand!" With every shout that she gave was like another pin stabbed in his heart, it hurt Gray to hear her yell at him. "You don't know what he was like when we were younger, what the real Jellal was like, he would never willingly do something like that to anyone! I have forgiven him, why can't you?" Erza's anger was reaching its peak, she just couldn't stand Gray right now. _Why can't he just let him go? He's wrong… right? He has to be..._

The ice mage felt the pain of her words, sharper than knives, go right through his heart. His head was clouded with sadness and he could only speak quietly, his voice shaking here and there. Gray looked towards the ground, and he questioned the knight. "Were you lying, Erza?"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated his question. "Lie? What are you talking about?" She didn't like him using questions that were beating around the bush.

Gray looked up at Erza and met with her chocolate brown eyes. She looked back into his dark orbs, still unsure by what he meant with his question. Then, he spoke again "I could still hear everything shortly after I turned myself into ice. And… I heard you say… that you loved me… W-Were you lying when you said that?"

Erza was shocked by what he said, _he had heard me?_ She started to feel a little bad for getting mad at him, she barely spoke, hesitant with her words "Gray, I-"

"When Erza?" Gray asked "When will I get you to love me like I love you?" The ice wizard turned his head towards the ground after questioning her with something he didn't expect an answer to. He simply continued, no longer afraid to tell her how he has felt "Years. Years I spent, trying to get you to open up to me, to get you to see how I loved you Erza. I wanted to be there to protect you, from everything; your past, your heartache, all of it. But none of it mattered. It was all a waste of time."

Gray chuckled, slightly amused by what he was going to say next. Erza just listened, "I've always been second place for you, haven't I? You've always loved Jellal, and you love him now. It's kinda funny, huh? How much time I spent chasing a dream that could never happen. Kinda like trying to get to a mirage, no matter how fast you run or how hard you try or how long you do it, you can never get there." Gray laughed at himself, finding his stupidity comical.

Erza was taken aback by listening to him, _I do love him, don't I? Then why am I hesitating to tell him?_ "Gray, you know that-"

The ice wizard interrupted, "And in the Tower of Heaven, I was there to protect you when Natsu was taken down, when you were taken down. And, dammit Erza, I gave my life to protect you because there was no other way for you live." Gray's voice was beginning to rise, becoming consumed with heartache and anger "I didn't ask to be brought back to life. In fact, it would have been better off if I stayed dead, because I would have at least died believing that you loved me, that you felt that same way I did about you".

"Gray, don't talk like that, I-"

Gray was nearly yelling, becoming angrier as he continued to talk, "And now, here we are, and you are protecting _him!_ The man who put you through so much pain, the man who hurt others, the man who tried to _kill you!_ After I protected you from him, you are now trying to protect him from me?" Gray was fighting back tears, because he felt so heartbroken, so… betrayed. "And you know what? I'm jealous of him. There, I said it. I'm jealous that he can so easily be loved by you, no matter if he tries or not, or whether he hurts you or not. But I can see past my jealousy, and know that he isn't the guy you think he is."

Erza was hurt by his words, and she clenched her fists as tight as she could. She too, was holding back tears, but the way he was talking to her and his constant interrupting was making her angry as well. "Look, Gray." Her voice was starting to shake, and she was afraid that it would cause her to shed a tear, and if she started crying, she wouldn't be able to stop. "The two years that you were ice, I would go to your gravestone often, and remind myself of what you did for me. Whether or not you are with me right now, I will never forget what you did, and I'll always be grateful for it. Gray, I-"

She was clamping her teeth shut tight, trying to avoid crying, but it didn't help. Erza's eyes began to water, and a single tear ran down her cheek."-I would cry myself to sleep at night… Every night, until the nightmares of your death left me. I was haunted by your sacrifice. I felt horrible, for not being able to help you, for being the reason that you died. But I got over it, because I knew that you wouldn't have wanted me to live my life depressed. And _you_ know what, Gray? I did love you, and I still do, but I can't hide the fact that I loved Jellal as well. I didn't love the Jellal that was possessed, because that wasn't him. And now both of you are back, and… I just have a lot on my mind right now." Erza wiped the tear from her face and averted her eyes to the ground.

Gray felt so bad for her, he had made her cry. She cried because of him. No, that's not right, he was supposed to protect her from that. But Gray couldn't stand being lied to, and despite Erza's tears, he yelled "Will you stop lying! You may have loved me when I died, but was it because I saved your life? Now that Jellal is here, you _love_ him! Not me! You have always loved him! It's clear as day, your true feelings. So what's the point in lying to me, Erza?"

Erza closed her eyes, forcing herself to not cry. "Gray, I'm not lying…"

The ice wizard continued, unaware that she was on the verge of tearing up. "Like hell, you are! How else can you explain why you were being so cold to me when I woke up this morning? And the only thing you wanted to know from me, was where that blue haired bastard was!"

Erza's eyes shot open, and she looked the ice wizard dead in the eyes. She didn't care anymore if he saw her crying, tears streamed down her face as she spoke to him, a hint of anger in her voice. "Gray! I'm not lying! And the reason I wasn't talking to you very much this morning was because today was the day that my parents died 12 years ago!" The scarlet mage reached her hand into the collar of her armor and yanked out a silver necklace that held a cross-shaped pendant and she threw it on the ground. "And you can have that back! You… You… You insensitive asshole!"

Erza stormed out of Gray's house, slamming the door behind her, tears still flowing down her cheeks. She wiped them away, trying to forget what happened. She had walked about ten steps before she was confronted by a man. "Erza! Are you alright?" A familiar voice called to her and he wrapped his arm around the knight.

The scarlet wizard looked up, to see Jellal looking sympathetically down at her. The bluenette wiped away the remaining tears off of her face, and rubbed her head, trying to comfort her. "Are you okay, Erza?"

She looked at him and cracked a small smile, "Thank you, Jellal. I think I'll be fine."

He wrapped his arm around her back and began to walk with her. "That's good. How about we get some breakfast?"

Erza sighed, trying to calm herself down, "Yes, that would be nice."

Gray stood stunned by what Erza had done. By the time he realized she was gone, it was too late. He picked up the necklace that once belonged to him, _She had been wearing this the whole time?_ The ice wizard rubbed his forehead, now mad at himself. "What have I done…".

* * *

 **A/N:** **I wanted to include lots of angst in this chapter. Sorry it took so long to update, by the way! Do you guys prefer longer chapters? Because I try to make them longer each time. Also, I revised all of the previous chapters, I think they are better than they were before. If any of you want to check out my new Gray/Erza story, I have it up now!**

 **Let me know how you liked the angst in this chapter! I love your guys' reviews!**

 **-AP**


	9. Relieving Tension

**A/N: Yay! This story reached over 2,500 views after last chapter, that's awesome! Thanks to all who have reviewed so far, I appreciate it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Relieving tension**

It has now been 6 months since Jellal and Gray's return. So that the public wouldn't freak out or be scared, Jellal was hidden in the Fairy Tail guild hall and allowed to live there, courtesy of Erza's request. It had also been about 6 months since Gray and Erza had their argument on the blue haired man. The relationship between the two of them had become awkward, to say the least. However, they continued to go on missions with the rest of their team, but no longer went on a duo mission together. There would be too much awkward tension.

Gray would always beat himself up about his fight with Erza. He would constantly hate himself for what he did. He couldn't believe he let his pride get the best of him. He had ruined his relationship with her and he didn't think things would ever be the same. Gray continued to have his suspicions about Jellal, but he would always see him leave the guild to take down a dark guild, and when he didn't go alone, it was with Erza. Gray was having trouble seeing Jellal as a bad guy anymore, there just wasn't any evidence to support that he was.

Immediately following their argument, Erza had been comforted by Jellal after she stormed out of Gray's house. She was certain that she left any romantic feelings she had for the ice mage at his house, thrown on the ground along with his necklace that she once kept. She still cared about Gray, and still saw him as family, but she didn't see completely the way she did when he "died". The night after their argument, Erza couldn't sleep, pondering about what Gray had said. She questioned herself, and wondered if she just falsely loved Gray because of his sacrifice.

Erza wanted to talk privately with Gray about it the day after, but he seemed to ignore her and whenever she decided to talk to him, she always found herself without words. Eventually, days, weeks, months passed, and she never had the chance to talk with Gray and maybe resolve some things with him. She would go on missions with Jellal occasionally, and they would defeat a dark guild and come back to Fairy Tail.

Erza was taking notice of Gray's purposeful ignorance of her, and while they did go on missions with Lucy and Natsu, they rarely spoke to each other. She believed that surely the rest of their team was taking notice of their tension. Neither Gray nor Erza told anyone about their argument, but it was becoming quite evident that the two had something going on.

It was a normal day in the Fairy Tail guild hall, the regular commotion throughout the large room. Erza sat alone at the bar, eating a cheesecake that she ordered. Gray was struggling to pull Juvia off of him, wanting to be left alone for once.

"Come on Juvia, get off of me!" The ice wizard finally broke free of his lover's grasp, but it caused him to stumble forward, accidentally knocking into Erza in the process. His unexpected bump into the requip mage caused her to drop the rest of her cake on the ground.

Erza was surprised and quite annoyed by what happened. Gray, on the other hand, just scoffed and quickly began to walk away from the scene, not wanting to deal with it. Erza turned around, an angry look on her face, searching for who caused her to drop her precious cake. Her eyes met the back of a certain ice mage, who she had quickly concluded to be the culprit, leaving. She got up from her seat, and walked as normally as possible, trying not to create a scene. She was determined to talk with him about their relationship right here and now.

Erza followed Gray out of the guild hall, doing her best to not attract any attention to herself or the wizard she was following. But someone saw the whole thing, and decided to sneak along and find out what would happen next.

Gray noticed that Erza was catching up to him, and he began to pick up his pace, going from a walk to almost a jog. Erza could see what he was trying to do and she was growing more annoyed as she saw how hard he was trying to ignore her. She started to run towards Gray and was right behind him. "Come over here, Gray! I just want to talk!"

Erza was gaining on him, and she just before grabbing him, she ended up tripping over a book that was in the middle of the sidewalk, falling forward and tackling Gray from behind.

Surprised by Erza's sudden tackle, Gray began to fall along with Erza, and the two of them tumbled down a hill until they stopped at the bottom, now facing a river. The two wizards sat up, a little delirious from their roll down the hill. Gray began to stand up, but Erza grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down next to her.

"Excuse me, I have to go-"

"Gray. Stop it. Will you please just sit with me for a few minutes and just talk." Erza softened her voice, hoping to get through to Gray nicely.

Gray gave up and sat back down, although he pulled his hand away from hers and looked off into the distance. Erza internally smiled, glad that she would finally have the chance to speak with Gray one on one, since their… argument. "You know, this is where we first became friends Gray" Erza looked at the river, remembering that day, so long ago, when Gray found her crying here. Gray remained silent, so Erza decided to question him.

"Gray, why do you keep ignoring me?"

The ice mage frowned, feeling a bit ashamed, but answered bluntly "I'm not. Remember we went on a mission with Natsu and Lucy two days ago."

"You know that's not what I mean Gray" Erza paused, "Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it. Why have you been _ignoring_ me since our…" Erza stopped, not wanting to bring it up, but having no choice, "... argument".

Gray clenched his fists, hating being reminded of that day. The day that he ruined his relationship with Erza. He honestly wasn't completely sure why he ignored the scarlet mage for so long, it just seemed to happen out of instinct. The only words that Gray had were, "I- I'm sorry Erza…".

Gray looked at Erza, their eyes meeting each other. He fought back burning tears that threatened to make themselves visible. He had felt guilt, hurt, heartbreak, sadness, shame, all the six months after he began to ignore her. He couldn't lie to himself and tell himself to stop loving Erza. He had loved her all along, and always will, no matter what.

Their eyes were locked, and their faces were no more than a foot away from touching. They just stared into each other's eyes, their expressions apologizing without words. The entire half a year that their relationship was severed seemed to mend back together by just looking at one another.

Erza finally began to speak, "No, Gray. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did. I shouldn't have expected you to know why I was being so cold that day."

Gray moved closer, their eyes inches apart, a pink tint beginning to stain their cheeks as they realized their closeness. "Erza. Don't apologize. It was my fault, I started the argument." Gray put his hand on her cheek, holding her face and feeling how soft and warm her cheek was. Erza nearly flinched, surprised by the sudden coolness of Gray's hand on her face.

"Erza, I love you. I have always loved you. Nothing hurt more than not being normal with you. The past six months have been eating me up inside, and I didn't think I could take it anymore. I don't know why exactly, but I couldn't stop myself from ignoring you, but at the same time, I couldn't stop being in love with you either." Gray moved even closer to Erza, their lips so close, they could feel each other's breathing. "Thank you, Erza. For being in my life. It wouldn't be half as good without you in it"

Gray finished off his last sentence by closing in the small gap that kept their lips apart. He pressed into her, continuing to cradle her head with his hand. Erza was stunned at first, and the first thing that came to mind was what Jellal would think if he saw them. But she quickly gave in, enjoying the kiss and returning the gesture. Gray felt as though his insides were fluttering around, and he couldn't believe what was happening. He simply continued to kiss Erza, relishing how soft her lips were and wishing for the moment to never end.

Erza was the first to pull away, breathing heavily in an attempt to catch her breath. A blush redder than her hair colored her cheeks and she looked down, feeling a little nervous. Gray shared the same coloring of his face, but he still looked at Erza, amazed and astonished by what had happened. Kissing Erza Scarlet, one of the only things in the world he'd do anything to do. And it just happened.

Erza wasn't sure what exactly to feel. Part of her felt ashamed, knowing that she had an unofficial and private relationship with Jellal. But another part of her felt in love with the moment they shared, wanting it to last longer. Gray knew full well that Erza would go with Jellal on missions together and that they had some kind of relationship going on. But he didn't care, he knew that part of Erza wanted it, that part of her wouldn't mind. Besides, he might as well check it off his bucket list before Erza made things official with the blue haired mage.

Erza shuffled a bit away from Gray, not knowing what exactly to do or say after their kiss. "I, uh, I really should be going now, it's getting late…" Erza stood up and began to walk away, a bit fast. She was really bad with awkward situations.

"Erza, wait!" Gray called out to her, but it was no use, she was leaving. He knew that she had trouble handling these kinds of situations, and decided to not follow her. He was glad that he had at least somewhat solved things between him and Erza. Gray pressed his hand to his lips, feeling a small cut on his mouth. Erza must have accidentally bit his lip when they had their embrace. Gray smiled at that thought.

Jellal had been watching, though, the entire time. He had followed Gray and Erza when they left the guild hall, he was the only one that saw them leave and he wanted to see what they were going to do. He had known about their argument they had half a year ago, and could see the tension between them, but he never brought up the topic to Erza.

Jellal furrowed his brows in anger, a bit ticked off by what he witnessed. "I'll have to start _it_ now. It's a bit earlier than planned, but it's now or never... I have no choice but to bring Erza there tomorrow…" The bluenette whispered to himself, a smirk now on his face. "I need to do it before she stops loving me. If she falls for Gray completely, I won't be able to manipulate her like I want, and the plan will fail. " He slipped back, disappearing into the night.

 **A/N: I just love writing Gray and Erza romance scenes :)))**

 **Anyways, did you guys like the kiss scene? This is my first time writing a real kissing scene, so I'm pretty new to it. There is only one more chapter left guys! :0 Are you excited? It is going to be a long chapter, by the way. Also, be on the lookout for the Christmas/Winter Special I will be posting in a couple of weeks. Spoiler: there will be fluffy Grayza in it !**

 **Reviews are much appreciated!**

 **-AP**


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